Is Bobby Leaving 9-1-1? Inside His Future With Station 118
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Oh captain, our captain! With him escaping yet another near-death experience, fans can’t help but wonder whether Captain Bobby Nash is leaving 9-1-1 and what will happen to Peter Krause’s character now that he’s faced his fiercest fire yet: One that’s threatened his own home.
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Is Bobby Nash leaving 9-1-1?
Bobby — played by Peter Krause — sparked speculation he was leaving 9-1-1 in Season 7, Episode 9, “Ashes, Ashes,” in which he resigned as captain of Station 118 after coming face to face with Amir, a man who lost his family in a Minnesota fire Bobby caused many years ago.
More: The truth about whether Bobby really dies in 9-1-1
At the end of the episode, Bobby revealed to his wife, Athena Grant, that his original plan was to commit suicide after saving 148 people as a firefighter — the same amount that lost their lives in the fire he caused. “I’m not supposed to be here,” Bobby says. The final moments of the episode show Bobby dreaming about his alcoholic father. When he wakes up, he realizes that his and Athena’s house is on fire, with Athena unconscious in their bedroom. The last scene shows Bobby rescuing Athena from their home and ensuring she’s safe before he grabs his chest and falls over unconscious as the screen cuts to black.
A preview of the 9-1-1 Season 7 finale, “All Fall Down,” shows Athena waking up in a hospital asking for Bobby, who is intubated and unconscious. The preview continues with Athena sitting by Bobby’s side as she tells him, “I’m here, baby. They’re saying that you may already be lost. But I just don’t know if I can bear that.” The final scene of the preview shows Bobby having a seizure before viewers hear a flatline sound. In typical 9-1-1 fashion, Bobby didn’t die in the Season 7 finale and returned for Season 8.
“Being a part of this comic book come to life about first responders, has been really fun. Because we go through things that some people wouldn’t necessarily survive, but that’s the language of the show,” Krause told People after the finale. “It is about perseverance and redemption and moving forward and having family and supporting each other. All these themes are underneath the splashy entertainment. And I’m a big fan of the splashy entertainment, the wild and wacky emergencies. But I’m also really happy to see us delve into people’s personal lives and see them struggle with the same things that audience members struggle with.”
More: Meet the 9-1-1 cast’s children and families in real life
Still, fans were confident that Bobby would be written off. Bobby’s confession to Athena that he planned to commit suicide once he saved the amount of people he killed in the fire he created in Minnesota could foreshadowing for his death in the Season 7 finale. While he didn’t commit suicide, Athena could be that final person he saved before he was ready for death.
Fans also suspected that 9-1-1 was planning to write off a longtime character ever since the series was saved from cancellation and renewed by ABC in May 2023. Deadline reported at the time that FOX, the series’ original home for its first six seasons, had cancelled 9-1-1 due its high cost to produce.
Sources told the magazine in May 2023 that 9-1-1 cost around $9 million to $10 million per episode to make due to two main reasons. The first are the expensive visual effects and stunts used to create the series’ disasters. The second is 9-1-1‘s high-paid cast, which has only become more expensive the longer the series has run for.
More: See the 9-1-1 cast’s salary
Deadline reported in 2021 that Krause is the second highest-paid cast member on 9-1-1 at $300,000 per episode. The first is Angela Bassett (Athena), who makes $450,000 per episode. Given 9-1-1‘s usual episode count that ranges from 1o to 18 episodes per season, Krause’s contract could pay him anything from $3 million to $5.4 million per season.
Following 9-1-1‘s move from FOX to ABC, fans suspected that Krause or Bassett would exit in Season 7 to save costs in its new home. However, Krause seemed more likely due to Bassett being the top-billed actor on the series. (Both Krause and Bassett are executive producers, so Krause could still remain on the series in a creative capacity.) Bobby’s death would also help to revive the series after seven seasons of storylines by giving Athena a much-needed arc for Season 8, as well as the rest of the crew.
Krause also seemingly hinted at Bobby’s death in an interview with The Wrap in March 2024 ahead of 9-1-1 Season 7’s three-part premiere, which saw Bobby and Athena’s honeymoon cruise ship get hijacked, then have an explosion, and then face a Category 5 hurricane. “As an audience member, you almost hope they die together,” Krause said. “I was filming it and thinking, ‘Let’s just Romeo and Juliet this thing right now.’ I know the show’s gotta go on, but we’re never going to be able to top this.”
9-1-1 is available to stream on Hulu.
Watch ‘9-1-1’ on Hulu
For more on 9-1-1, check out how much the cast makes per episode — including who’s the highest paid — in the gallery below.
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